Happy Friday! As summer creeps onto the horizon, we have an opportunity to breathe, relax and reflect on the reasons we, as changemakers, wake up and continue to work on behalf of low-income people in America’s cities. At Living Cities, our staff have taken some of this time to share their reading (and viewing!) recommendations on topics that are central to the work we do each day.

Racial Equity and Inclusion

The Spring, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy released a “special report” devoted to what philanthropy can do to combat implicit bias, or the way in which our unconscious minds shape and contribute to our thoughts and actions. This great list of articles provides a way for cross-sector leaders to deepen our understanding of what it takes to work with communities of color, and get dramatically better results, faster. I particularly found john a. powell’s ‘Implicit Bias and Its Role in Philanthropy and Grantmaking’ worth the read!

Over a good part of the past decade I have been blessed to work with Rev. Jeffrey L. Brown to help cities across the nation tackle the issue of gun and gang violence. Rev. Brown has dedicated his life to saving the lives of young men of color trapped in a culture of violence. He’s spoken to leaders across the country, and was recently part of a panel at the March convening of the Project of Municipal Innovation.

His TED Talk, filmed in March 2015, Rev. Brown makes some great links to what’s happening in cities now around police brutality as it relates to black on black crime. He also reminds us about the importance of authentic community engagement punctuated by Ghandi’s quote that “Whatever you do for me, but without me, you do against me.” Listen until the end!

Jobs and Employment

Minnesota’s Job Creation Fund, an innovative financing program has been a major success story in creating jobs and investing in growth in Minnesota. Under the program, businesses can receive up to $1 million after meeting certain criteria, including minimum requirements for job creation and private investments. They must create at least 10 full-time jobs and invest at least $500,000 to be eligible for financial assistance. We’re excited to learn from the Fund and see the potential of their model to improve the economic-well-being of low-income people.